The cocaine explosion

Cocaine seizures in London have rocketed by 400 per cent in a year, police revealed today.

Senior detectives fear crime gangs are attempting to flood the capital with the class A drug because it is so profitable.

Even heroin dealers are diversifying into cocaine because of the extra cash it brings.

Drug cartels based in Colombia are shipping supplies via the Caribbean and the Continent - often using "mules" on Eurostar or ferries to bring it across the Channel.

Police recovered 360kg of cocaine with a street value of £9 million in the year ending last month - compared with 96kg the previous year.

Police also seized 17kg of crack cocaine, compared with 11 the previous year, and raided 500 crack houses across London. Senior Yard officers said the increase in the supply of Class A drugs, particularly cocaine, was "phenomenal".

Sources said one possibility was that US and international law agencies were diverting resources from tackling drug barons in Colombia and the Caribbean to the fight against international terrorism.

Drug cartels in South America are taking advantage of the change in tactics to increase cocaine traffic.

The National Criminal Intelligence Service said there was evidence of an increase in seizures in Europe of cocaine destined for Britain, although it put this down to better co-operation between EU police forces.

The agency said heroin dealers were also diversifying to supply cocaine or crack cocaine because it was more profitable. The latest figures were published as the Met revealed it is working with Customs to launch a new pan-London drug squad to target middle-market dealers.

The Independent Drug Monitoring Unit said cocaine was now more common than amphetamines and its use was continuing to rise.

According to latest British Crime Survey figures, 622,000 people regularly take cocaine, with a huge increase in the number of users between 1998 and 2000.

Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, head of the Met's Specialist Crime Directorate, said: "Class A drugs have a devastating impact on communities within London.

"The very presence of drugs on the streets of London cause increased levels of crime - as addicts turn to robbery and burglary to feed their habit.

"By taking drugs off the streets we are making London a safer place and contributing to reducing volume crime."

He said police were increasingly using Proceeds of Crime Act legislation to seize cash and assets. Last year the Met recovered more than £4 million from dealers - half of all the proceeds of crime seized from criminals in London.

Commander Stephen James, head of the Met's Drugs Directorate, said: "We will do all we can to stifle the supply of controlled drugs in London. We also ensure that we have partnership strategies in place, particularly with health agencies, to reduce the harm drugs cause."

Cocaine smugglers have become increasingly sophisticated. In recent years Customs officers have even seized submarines in South America.

Last year the Royal Navy were involved in chasing a Second World War motor torpedo boat carrying 3.6 tonnes of Colombian cocaine.

But despite the successes there is little evidence of the supply drying up.